On the first day of classes, in the amphitheatre, the A E Pi fraternity held a rock-a-thon charity drive in support of The Grand River Hospital Foundation and Save a Child’s Heart, an Israeli charity that provides heart surgeries for children in need worldwide. “We had five bands come out and we had brothers playing in between bands,” A E Pi vice president Phil Jacobson said. After the proceeds of the day were tallied, Jacobson confirmed a total of $1,600 was raised during the event, which lasted from around 10 a.m. until 6 in the evening.

Laurier Brantford granted additional stimulus funding

On Sept. 14 another round of funding from the federal government was announced in support of Laurier’s Brantford campus. Laurier Brantford will receive $466,000 to enhance facilities as part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan, which provided over $250,000 earlier this summer to the campus for development of athletic facilities. The new funds have been allocated for the installation of video-conferencing technology, technology that could allow the satellite campus to participate in lectures or meetings hosted at Laurier’s other campuses.

Blood Clinics scheduled

Laurier has partnered with Canadian Blood Services to hold mobile blood donor clinics on campus Sept. 17 and Jan. 31. The university has pledged to collect at least 300 donations across its four campuses. The university is now a Partner for Life with the organization, joining hundreds of institutions nationwide and will now set pledge goals.